Quarantine Fatigue Last week I was crawling out of my skin. I felt depressed, but nothing was wrong. In fact, I’m fortunate. Everyone I know is safe, and my family still has a source of income. Meanwhile, millions of others have lost their jobs, suffered through sickness and the death of loved ones, or have been forced to surrender to a drive-by celebration of much-anticipated milestones like graduations and weddings. I had none of those things. How can I be depressed? Quarantine fatigue is an actual thing. Despite the decimation of the usual routine of my days and weeks, up until this last week, I was fine. Still, for no rhyme or reason, I felt edgy, ready to lose my sh*t. Lumped on top of that, was a sense of guilt for not having a legitimate reason to feel this way. The mind and emotions are complex. Alone with our thoughts, we get caught up in our own narratives. This is why, in part, socialization and community is important to us. According to a study by the
Inward Thinking At a time when we are secluded with the same few people every day—or some of us, alone—we spend a lot of time looking inward. I’m an advocate for self-reflection and improvement, but it’s an important time to consider how others may be dealing with this crisis. Someone with an autoimmune disease is stuck home unable to do much; afraid they will get deathly sick. Someone is battling with depression, fighting a silent uphill battle since the first day of mandatory social distancing. A teacher struggles to learn how to instruct their class virtually and are finding themselves the target of overwhelmed parents’ anger. So many of our neighbors are navigating a new work-from-home situation that is less than optimal. Many are no longer working at all. Lovers are separated. Grandparents haven’t been able to hug their grandchildren. Sadly, some have experienced the loss of a loved one, or celebrated a birthday or a special milestone while isolated from those closest to t